


hit me with your sweet love

by jack_the_giantkiller



Series: dear diary, i met a boy [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-17 23:18:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4684952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jack_the_giantkiller/pseuds/jack_the_giantkiller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unusal meeting at an all-night laundromat, Dorian and Cullen go on a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hit me with your sweet love

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [somekindofcontraption](http://somekindofcontraption.tumblr.com) for an incredible beta, and several other friends for giving me feedback this every time I got even a little stuck.

Seconds after he’s handed in the final draft of his paper, Dorian texts Cullen to make a dinner date for that evening. The first thing he does is to immediately begin planning his outfit—something gorgeous, but not too over the top. They aren’t going anywhere particularly fancy, and he gets the impression that his best dress clothes may scare poor Cullen away. The man is a little shy, and seems reluctant about his sexuality.

Definitely the kind of guy likely to spook if Dorian is too intense.

If Dorian were to sort to inflict his parents on someone he cared about, Cullen would definitely be the boy he brought home. He feels it’s practically his duty to leave a good impression of dating men as a whole, for the benefit of Cullen’s future partners. Not that making sure Cullen has a good time will be a hardship by any definition. As he zips up his boots, Dorian feels more than up to the challenge. 

* * *

 Cullen’s choice of restaurant, Teagan’s, is incredibly bland.

Dorian could name a hundred other restaurants with the same dim lighting and unadventurous decor—middle of the road in terms of price. Places like this couldn’t be more unlike the restaurants found in Tevinter: sophisticated, elegant places with food that comes out of the kitchen smelling mouthwateringly delicious. Ferelden could use an introduction to basic spices and perhaps color—the first Ferelden restaurant he’d been to had served some sort of stew, tasteless and cooked to an unappetizing grey color.

He wonders what it says about Cullen that this is one of his favorite places to eat.

Dorian waits at Teagan’s for fifteen minutes before Cullen finally shows up, once again covered in blood and grinning sheepishly. One look at the man and Dorian bursts out laughing.

“Still walking into lamp posts, I take it?”

Cullen sits down, ignoring the stares from the diners around them. “Nope, I saved a little old lady from some muggers.”

Dorian grins, and he’s about to crack another joke about it, when Cullen says, “No, really, I saved a little old lady from two men who were trying to take her purse.”

“...Please tell me she hit you in the face with her blackjack.”

“Unfortunately for your psychic talents, it really was a lucky punch.”

“Pity, I was about to go buy a lottery ticket.”

“When I first realized what was happening, my first thought was ‘Oh, shit’, and my second was ‘Dorian’s going to love this’.”

Funny as it was, blood-stained shirts weren’t his idea of appropriate for a date. “Really, you couldn’t have stopped to change your shirt?”

“I was already on my way, and I didn’t want to be late. I didn’t exactly carry a spare.” He grins, and oh, Dorian loves that smile. “Besides, you’ve already seen me covered in blood.”

That’s incredibly adorable, and a little funny. “Yes, but your poor nose. Let’s not make this a habit?” Dorian says instead. He unsubtly flicks imaginary dust off of his very fashionable and very immaculate shirt, “You really should wash that out. Perhaps something to go? You mentioned your apartment was nearby, and while I’m glad to have met you there, I’d rather not spend our date in the laundromat.”

Cullen agrees. “I’m not sure I like the look the manager’s giving me—I give it five minutes before I’m politely asked to leave. My apartment’s not far, maybe a block.”

“Sounds good. I’ll order, if you want to wait outside. What would you like?”

“Food?” Cullen shrugs. “I’m not picky. Get me a burger, just not one of the spicy ones.”

“I’ll surprise you then.” Dorian gets up, ducking to kiss Cullen’s cheek before he makes his way to the bar to place their order.

Cullen leaves a generous tip on the table, and nods to the manager on the way out.

* * *

 Cullen lives on the third floor, and it’s only when they’re in the stairwell that Dorian thinks to ask, “So, are your sister and her children still around?”

“Fortunately, they left yesterday—I wouldn’t subject you to my sister. She’s been trying to set me up with every eligible, interested bachelor she knows since I came out to her. She’d eat you alive.” Rolling his eyes, Cullen unlocks the door.

“Yet another argument in favor of being an only child. On the other hand, I don’t have someone lining up all the available men in the area for me to pick from, so I suppose having a sibling has some benefits.”

Cullen grimaces. “No, that is _not_ a benefit. I feel like fresh meat, surrounded by sharks.” He opens the door, toeing off his shoes as he goes inside.

“Am I a shark?” Dorian asks, taking advantage of the privacy to move in close to Cullen, resting a hand on his deliciously muscled arm.

“What? No!”

Dorian’s smile is a little smug and a lot hungry as he whispers into Cullen’s ear. “Are you sure?”

“Dorian!” Cullen’s eyes drop to the floor.

Cullen’s blush is delightful, but he was supposed to be trying to tone it down a bit. “Here, I need to take my shoes off," he says to change the subject as he hands off their takeaway bag to Cullen, who grabs it like a lifeline, taking off like a shot to a cute breakfast nook on the other side of the room.

It’s a decent sized apartment, Dorian notes, glancing around now that his immediate source of entertainment is across the room. The couch looks comfortable: soft looking brown leather well broken-in like it’s a few owners from new. It’s positioned in front of a small hard wood coffee table, in a rather dated style and a decent sized TV that’s the newest thing in the room. The walls are bare, and besides the furniture, the room is empty of decorations. On the far wall he can see the shadow of a hallway that must lead to the bathroom and hopefully, bedroom.

It’s more than a little spartan, and Dorian thinks Cullen might be the kind of man to sink into routines; simple, easy, comfortable routines. Well, perhaps he can shake Cullen up a bit.  

He makes his way to the table where Cullen has laid out the burgers on china plates. Apparently he’s the sort of man who does that. Being that Dorian is not going to be doing the dishes, he can hardly complain.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Cullen asks, politely, but his fingers are twisting in the hem of his shirt, and Dorian waves him off.

“Go wash your shirt, before the blood sets, I’m sure I won’t perish of thirst before then.” He gets a wry smile for his efforts, and Cullen ducks into the hallway.

* * *

 Dinner was surprisingly good; Dorian had gone with a burger on Cullen’s recommendation, and it was the best burger he’d ever had. The conversation was stimulating—Dorian talked about his schooling and lab work, occasionally dropping the sort of compliment that would get Cullen flustered. He couldn’t help but be charmed by his genuine interest in Dorian’s scholarly pursuits. Cullen in turn talked about his sister, his nieces, and the self-defence classes he taught. Dorian couldn’t help but be a little envious of Cullen’s closeness with his family, but readily enjoyed the stories about Cullen's work—it turned out that he owned the gym he taught at, and had a fascinating array of stories to choose from.

Dorian is preparing himself to make a grand exit involving a rather nice goodbye kiss, (Cullen’s third, he thinks impishly,) when Cullen offers shyly. “Do you want to stay? Hang out and,” he stumbles over the words, “Watch Netflix?”

Dorian is rather impressed with him—despite the stumbling, he’d obviously practiced. It’s subtle as propositions go, and while Dorian’s been with enough people to know that watching Netflix never ends with cuddling and a goodnight kiss, he hadn’t expected Cullen to go that far on their first date.

“I’d be delighted, of course. I hope you’ve picked out something interesting to watch.”

“I was rather hoping we could pick together— I wouldn’t want to pick something you don’t like.”

They end up compromising on an action film that Cullen actually seems interested in. Dorian is content to appreciate the eye candy for however long they actually watch the movie. Cullen settles into a comfortable position with one arm on the back of the couch and his legs spread. Dorian takes the middle, relaxing back so that Cullen’s arm ends up neatly around his shoulders. Cullen’s answering smile is shyly pleased, as though he’s delighted by Dorian’s presence—and who wouldn’t be?

By the time they’ve gotten half an hour into the movie, Dorian is nearly bored to tears. When his mind begins to wander from the muscles under Cullen’s shirt to what’s due in his classes tomorrow, he finally breaks. Cullen is obviously too shy to make a move, and so it’s only fair that Dorian make the move for him. Otherwise he may never find out what Cullen’s keeping in those jeans.

Casually, Dorian edges along the couch to rest his head on Cullen’s shoulder. Dorian can only imagine what it would be like to be pressed into that body, all intense heat and sweet kisses, as he fucks Dorian into the couch. Encouraged by the sudden hitch in Cullen’s breath Dorian rests his hand gently on Cullen’s stomach, feeling the tension there. There’s a slight shift as Cullen holds him closer.

Dorian looks up at Cullen through his eyelashes, and _perfect_ , Cullen is no longer paying any attention to the movie, eyes focused on Dorian, cheeks red, looking absolutely ravishable. Their eyes meet, and Cullen glances away, hand fidgeting with the fabric of Dorian’s shirt. Dorian’s a little disappointed that Cullen didn't take the bait, but just as he's about to give up Cullen seems to come to a decision, tugging him in close and kissing him.

Eyes fluttering shut, Dorian leans into the kiss, gripping the soft material of Cullen’s t-shirt. Cullen’s kiss is tentative, and Dorian very much wants to reassure him, to tease his mouth, feel Cullen’s tongue against his own.

The movie plays on unnoticed in the background as Cullen deepens the kiss, opening his mouth, making a noise deep in his throat as Dorian takes advantage of his parted lips. Desperate hands pull at Dorian’s shirt, Cullen’s fingertips pressing into his shoulder blades, five points of contact that tighten something deep in his stomach. Dorian loves this; kissing is a skill he prides himself on and immensely enjoys practicing, and kissing Cullen inspires passion he hasn't felt in awhile.

He sighs with pleasure, breaking off the kiss to suck gently at Cullen’s lower lip as Cullen moans, kissing him again, with a fervor that had been missing before. Dorian would grin if his mouth weren’t otherwise occupied. He gets to shake Cullen up after all. Dorian had suspected Cullen would be good at this when he finally relaxed, and it's nice to be right.

Dorian’s hand drifts lower on Cullen’s stomach, fingers slipping into the waistband of Cullen’s jeans. Dorian can feel the exact moment Cullen’s muscles tense up, fear or nerves rather than the arousal Dorian wants and he pulls back immediately.  

“Cullen?” He watches Cullen’s face intently, lit only by the flickering light of the TV, tries to figure out what he's feeling. Discomfort plays over his face, a slight grimace tugging at his kiss swollen lips.

“I—Dorian. I.” He swallows, letting go of Dorian and knotting his fingers nervously in his lap?

“Cullen, if I’ve gone too far…”

“No!” Cullen’s immediate, reactive denial isn’t reassuring. Dorian’s disbelief must show on his face, because Cullen follows it with, “Well. Perhaps a bit? I hadn’t quite intended...”

Definitely too fast— _vishante kaffas_ , he _knew_ Cullen would spook if he was too intense, but had gone ahead anyway. While Cullen's proposition was unexpected, he'd been perfectly happy to go along with it. Obviously,  he had misread the situation. “Perhaps you should tell me what you _had_ intended.”

“I wanted to watch a movie with you!” Cullen’s tone is defensive. He must realize how that sounds, because he adds in a softer tone, “I liked kissing you?”

“But second base was too much.” Dorian is beginning to grasp the picture here.

“Second base?”

“Touching below the belt. Handjobs. Fingering, for a woman,” Dorian summarizes. “Cullen,” he says gently, “Generally, when you invite someone you’re involved with romantically to watch Netflix, it’s meant as an proposition.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Frowning, Cullen pauses the movie, by now rolling the end credits. “If I… well, I would have been more clear than that."

“It wasn’t something I’d expected from you, but as you can imagine I wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea.”

“What does that mean?” Cullen is obviously offended, and Dorian cannot quite figure out where he’s stepped wrong here.

“You’re rather sweet, and a bit shy and I _am_ sorry I misinterpreted your invitation; the men I date are usually more....forward.”

“Is that what dating men is supposed to be like?”

 _Venhedis_ , this is exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. “There is no ‘supposed to’. You may date whomever you like, however you like. If you want to treat men differently than women, or the same as women, chaste, passionate, sexual—it’s up to you.” He swallows. “My relationships tend to be brief, passionate, and purely about pleasure; habits leftover from Tevinter, I’m afraid. Not that I object to other sorts of relationships. As I said, your proposition was rather unexpected."

Dorian breathes shallow, slow, deliberate, hoping against hope that he hasn’t fucked this up irreparably. He can see the tension in Cullen’s body, the way his arms are crossed tight across his chest. He likes Cullen in a way that he hasn’t like many of his previous partners. He can see himself fucking Cullen, of course, but also waking up next to him, a much rarer quality in a man. Cullen is sweet, and awkwardly charming. He finds himself unable to resist teasing him, but it's affectionate—and attempt to draw out one of his beautiful blushes rather than to annoy him.

After an uncomfortably long silence, Cullen finally answers with a soft, “Okay.” Far from the enthusiastic acceptance that Dorian had hoped for.

“Should I go then?” Dorian offers, knowing it’s the polite thing to do. He wants to stay, he wants to make it to the man by giving him the night he wanted. A do-over where all he does is curl against Cullen’s side, nuzzling his shoulder. Where he sits and enjoys the sound of his laugh as he enjoys every overacted joke the action blockbuster he’d chosen had to offer.

“I think so.” Cullen helps Dorian to his feet. There is an uncomfortable silence as Dorian takes the time to put on his overly complicated boots. Opening the door, Cullen says, “I did enjoy our date.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it ended like that. I’d rather hoped to leave you with a stunning impression of me—I had a grand exit all planned out.”

Cullen laughs, not unkindly. “Goodnight, Dorian.” Pressing a kiss to Dorian’s cheek, he leaves Dorian alone in the hallway, staring at a closed door.

He _always_ fucks things up. _Fasta vass_ , when will he fucking learn not to hope for more? It never ends well, and hurts all the worse every time. Dorian walks briskly home, trying to outpace his racing, spiraling thoughts.

 


End file.
